This week my mom was hanging out with my daughters and took them to WalMart to let them pick out a new DVD. My youngest decided she wanted a some kind of stuffed animal instead so she got it and then was allowed to go and pick a DVD out of a sale bin. The choices were overwhelming for my little 6 year old but when she saw something familiar she immediately grabbed it and bought it. What did she buy? Kelyn bought a Dora the Explorer DVD. I can’t even remember the last time she watched Dora The Explorer. She picked that DVD because it was familiar and it was the familiar choice among 100 other options in the bin.

When we move through our semester of teaching with no plan I think we do the same thing Kelyn did with her DVD choice when it comes to our teaching topics. Without a plan we gravitate to what is familiar. We move to whatever hot topic is hitting our audience and go that direction. Without a prayed over and planned out teaching schedule many of us will just embrace the familiar over and over because we are passionate about that idea, Scripture, or topic. You need a teaching schedule because…

1. A teaching schedule ensures you teach what’s most important // your ministry is shaping the biblical worldview of your audience. Make sure that every week is planned so you know exactly what will be communicated. Teach what matters most since we have limited weeks to teach!
2. A teaching schedule ensures that your bottom lines drive the creative process // content should drive creative elements. When you have a plan you have a better creative trampoline to jump off of.
3. A teaching schedule ensures your small group leaders have direction // your small group leaders need to know where you are headed. You can set your small group team up to be more effective with a teaching schedule.
4. A teaching schedule enables you to be a better communicator // with a plan you will be able to mentally prepare ahead of time, find better props, tell better stories, and teach scripture more effectively because you had time to prepare in advance.
5. A teaching schedule is just a guide, it can be changed // God has the freedom to change our plans. Teaching plans just allow you to be more prepared when God does change things!